The present invention relates generally to electric coffee brewing machines, and more particularly, to brew baskets and filter packs for electric coffee brewing machines.
For years, drip-type electric brewing machines have been used as an efficient means for brewing coffee. In general, these electric coffee brewing machines include a cold water reservoir, an electric resistance heating element for heating the water, and a reusable plastic brew basket for holding ground coffee in a paper coffee filter. To make coffee, cold water is poured into the water reservoir and coffee grounds are placed in a coffee filter, which is in turn placed in the brew basket. The cold water is heated by the electric heating element, and the heated water then saturates the coffee grounds. The brewed coffee then drips through the filter out of the brew basket, and into a receiving vessel, e.g., a coffee pot or coffee cup, which is positioned below the brew basket. After brewing is complete, the paper filter and used coffee grounds are taken out of the brew basket and discarded. Then, the brew basket and coffee pot are cleaned for re-use.
Known electric coffee brewing machines are not without disadvantages. For example, some of the heated water introduced into the brew basket may flow around the coffee filter and out of the brew basket without saturating the coffee grounds. In other words, some of the heated water may flow between the coffee filter and the brew basket instead of entering the coffee filter and saturating the coffee grounds, which may affect the quality of the brewed coffee. For example, the brewed coffee may be weaker and/or may be underdeveloped.